Preparati la bara!

You might have to do a double-take every so often while watching Django, Prepare A Coffin! Or Preparati la bara!, a 1968 Italian spaghetti western starring well-known action-comedy legend, Terrence Hill. It's a spin-off of the 1966 Django film that became popular with Italian movie star Franco Nero in the lead role.

Why the double-take? Because you might be convinced that Hill is none other than razor-jawed, dreamy-eyed action hero, Franco Nero.

The close-ups is where the doppelganger effect comes into play, but when the frustrum gives way to a full view of Hill's more lanky form -- especially when he isn't wearing the black overcoat -- you can readily see the difference between him and the more brutish Nero.

The size difference does kind of vitiate the luster of Hill's performance as Django, but not by too much.

Where Nero was more stoic and resolute in both the profile and portrait shots, with a sturdy gait that made him seem both charming and menacing all at the same time, Terrence Hill only manages the menace in the close-ups, and when wearing the large black overcoat in the distant shots.

Even then he has a propensity to let his glowing smile shine through the glower, infrequently, which can also give Django more of a personable appeal in this film compared to the tortured-soul effect that Nero had going for him in the original.

Now some people prefer this film to the 1966 outing, but I can't say for certain that this is better. It certainly has more layers going for it than the original due to the various characters having their own motivations, and that makes it a lot more unpredictable. The characters aren't just 2D cardboard cutouts, and that gives them a much more grounded flavor than what you might be expecting from a western.

There are occasional shootouts to sate the action-hungry viewer, but they aren't particularly as memorable as the ones from the original Django, which might disappoint some viewers.

Also, while Hill can some impressive displays of fisticuffs, his stringy physique doesn't quite make him as imposing as Nero, and in turn he comes across as a much more vulnerable Django than Nero's turn as the character.

However, where the acting counts Terrence Hill actually delivers. He does a very fine job of imitating Nero to the best of his abilities, and that alone definitely deserves a huge hat tip. It's not often someone is able to embody the role made famous by someone else and then turn in a performance that very closely resembles the original, while still managing to add their own spin on it (and managing a verisimilitude without the performance being satirical or farcical).

It's a hard balancing act to pull off, but I think Hill did a wonderful job with what he had to work with. It's a steep departure from his physical-comedy work that he became renown for with Bud Spencer, but well worth the watch for those who enjoyed the original Django that starred the devilishly handsome Franco Nero.

Django, you are a gullible one. Haven't you seen all them Spaghetti Westerns starring Horst Frank? He's not a good employer! Django finds this out the hard way when, following a successful election for Frank, Django gets ambushed transporting gold, his wife gets killed, and he gets turned into a vigilante killer! Worse still, he ends up taking a job as the hangman, but with motives! His motives involve not actually hanging folks as they are being framed by Horst Frank and sidekick giant George Eastman. So Django is forming his own little army of not-dead guys to get revenge on Frank and Eastman. Can he trust them? There's a gigantic amount of double crossing in this film which almost threatens to derail the entire film. Some of Django's guy double cross him, and then each other, until you stop caring about what's happening on screen and hope that at some point people will stop double crossing each other and you can just get to the big fight at the end.

George Eastman is good in this one and has a memorable death. Terence Hill in non-comedy mode is pretty good (He's basically Franco Nero with a pointier nose) and I'm watching too many of these films now as Horst Frank seems to be in most of them and it's hard to separate what he does in one film from the other.

This one plays out like an average Spag Western but there are enough quirks in there to make worth watching once. I love the way Arrow DVD have very slyly packaged the film so that unsuspecting folks would be it thinking they've bought Django Unchained!

Of all the unofficial "Django"-sequels(40+), this is the one that sticks closest to the original. This time around, Django is portrayed by a pre-Trinity Terrence Hill. Hill does his best to copy the original performance by Franco Nero, and succeeds. Director Ferdinando Baldi co-wrote this with Franco Rossetti (who also co-wrote the Corbucci film), and the result is an extremely entertaining film, with plenty of action, and enjoyable performances. This is nowhere the really great spaghetti westerns such as "Keoma", "Bullet For The General", and the works of Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, but fans of the genre will be more than pleased. The ending is the best bit, and was actually copied in the only official "Django"-sequel, "Django Strikes Again". Extremely hard to find, but well worth the search.

This moving Spaghetti packs noisy action , thrills , emotion , gun-play with exciting final . It deals with a strange gunslinger named Django (Terence Hill) is hired by a political wealthy man (Horst Frank) and his hoodlum (George Eastman) as a hangman to execute innocent villagers accused by the local crooked boss , who wishes their land . What the governor doesn't know is that Django isn't hanging the inmates at all , just making it look like he is, and using the prisoners he saves from the gallows to create his own band (Jose Torres , among others) in order to take revenge on the governor , but he then is caught up in a struggle against them . As mysterious Django looks for vengeance against the spouse's murderers and ultimately takes the law on his own hands .

This meaty Western contains an interesting but well known plot , violence , shoot'em up and results to be quite entertaining , though drags at times , balancing in ups and downs . Above average Spaghetti Western follows the Sergio Leone/Sergio Corbucci wake and it is proceeded in violent style . The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . It's a thrilling western with breathtaking confrontation between the protagonist Terence Hill against the heartless Horst Frank , George Eastman or Luigi Montefiori and his underlings who caused the death of his wife years before . Terence Hill is fine , he ravages the screen , hit and run and kills . This movie is a lot of fun to watch . It's an agreeable story with a touch of peculiarity , some particular characters, and an amazing music score . The picture is a tale of justice and revenge, as a man returns to carry out a relentless vendetta . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . This is an exciting film, plenty action , thrills, fights , gun-down and breathtaking outdoors from Lacio , Rome , and interiors in Elios Studios . In the picture appears Spaghetti habitual secondaries playing brief interventions such as Guido Lollobrigida or Lee Burton , Gina Lollobrigida's brother , Spartaco Conversi , Luciano Rossi ,Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia or Ken Wood as a henchman , Remo De Angelis and Andrea Scotti . The notorious Spaghetti actor , Terence Hill is good in his usual tough role . The pic is well starred by Mario Girotti or Terence Hill , he began playing secondary roles into typical examples of popular Italian films of the late 50s as sword and sandal epics, comedies, adventures and was with spaghetti westerns that renamed achieved worldwide stardom . His acting is often accused of being wooden, but in many manners is ideally suited to playing the steely-faced gunslinger synonymous with the genre . Since then he has concentrated on action/adventure films starring himself and often working with long time partner Bud Spencer. He appeared in 18 films with frequent co-star Bud Spencer , both of whom starred Spaghetti , Fagioli Western , comedy ,adventure and police stories .

There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes. There is a very odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , as in the final gunfights and the customary showdown conclusion . The movie gets the usual Western issues, such as avenger antiheroes , violent facing off , exaggerated baddies, soundtrack with Morricone influence , among them . The sense of pacing is such that his film can be counted on to move quickly and smoothly . Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a shinning sun and fine sets shot in Monte Gelato Falls, Treja River, Lazio, Italy . Brilliant cinematography by Enzo Barboni who subsequently directed to Terence Hill and Spencer in Trinity and Bambino saga . Great musical score by Gianfranco Reverberi , furthermore a catching and emotive leitmotif , including enjoyable song in main titles .

¨Viva Django¨ was compellingly realized by Ferdinando Baldi . Direction by Ferdinando Baldi is well crafted, here he is less cynical and more inclined toward violence and packs too much action . Baldi makes a nice camera work with clever choreography on the showdown , fighting , stirring shootouts and bemusing scenes . Baldi was a craftsman who directed all kind genres but especially Western such as "Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket" , "Blindman" , ¨Il Pistolero dell'Ave Maria" or USA original title "Forgotten Pistolero" , ¨Adios Texas¨ , ¨Rita in the West¨ and of course ¨"Django Sees Red" at his best . "Django, Prepare a Coffin" ¨ is an outlandish , surprising and uneven story that will appeal to Western aficionados . Rating : 7 , riotous Western in which there's too much action and violence and excitement enough . ¨El Mio Nome e Django¨ (1969) is an acceptable Western to enjoy the Spaghetti fans .

After successful original ¨Django¨ by Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero , it was followed by several imitations , rip offs and cheesy copies , such as : ¨Pochi dollar per Django¨ or ¨Alambradas De Violencia¨ (1966) by Leon Klimowsky starred by Anthony Steffen , Gloria Osuna , Frank Wolff ; ¨Django Le Bastard¨(1969) by Sergio Garrone with Anthony Steffen , Paolo Gozlino ; ¨¨Django defies Sartana¨(1969) by Pasquale Squitieri with George Ardisson and Tony Kendall ; ¨Ein Pressen Fur Django¨ or ¨Barro en Ojos¨(1971) by Edoardo Mulargia with Anthony Steffen ; and the official sequel titled ¨Il Grande Ritorno¨(1987) by Nello Rossati with Franco Nero , Christopher Connolly and Donald Pleasence .

Really, really good old fashioned Spaghetti Western starring a young Terence Hill as the titular gunslinger.

Gianfranco Reverberi's music is one of those old Western songs that just gets stuck in your head. I haven't seen the film in about four years and still remember the theme song beat-for-beat. Great cast too: with George Eastman, Horst Frank, Guido Lollobrigida, and Luciano Rossi (who dies like he does in every other movie). The dramatics is all melodramatic enough to the point of almost being funny, like with the action sequences where whoever is supposed to win just kicking ass and never getting hit once.

It's also interesting to note that this film has almost the exact same structure as Kurosawa's Yojimbo / Leone's Fistful of Dollars, yet it throws in enough variation (and "Django-ism") to retain its own unique and colorful feel. The best scene is definitely the ending showdown in the cemetery. Much better filmed and more comic book-style than anything in the original DJANGO - plus a lot more fun.

I never really was a big 60's Spaghetti Western fan, but I still liked this movie quite a bit, which definitely says something.